Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette Review, Swatches and Photos

After the success of Naked and Naked2 Eyeshadow Palettes, Urban Decay finally launched its very first matte eyeshadow palette, Urban Decay Naked Basics!

The Naked Basics comes in a soft-touch case that shuts tight just like Naked2. The palette measures a little over 4 inches by 2 inches and is half the size of the previous Naked palettes. It fit very nicely in my hand and since it’s so compact, you can literally take it with you anywhere.

On the inside is a wide mirror on top and six 0.05 oz shadows on the bottom. The shadows are the same size as the Naked and Naked2 palettes and feature a new Pigment Infusion systemTM, the proprietary blend of ingredients that gives every shade its velvety texture, rich color, serious staying power and blendability.

Venus is a soft, off-white color. It is the only demi-matte shadow in the palette, with the tiniest touch of satin for highlighting and adding dimension.Foxy is a creamy light yellow with matte finish. It was featured in the Naked2 palette and not available individually. The color blended into my NC30 skin almost completely.Walk of Shame is a light pinky nude with matte finish. It is just a bit pinker than Foxy and almost disappeared into my skin as well.Naked2 is a matte light taupe.Faint is a matte warm, dusty brown that is darker than Naked2.Crave is a matte almost-black brown. It is just a little more brown than Blackout from the Naked2 Palette but apply much smoother.

The colors were all very wearable and complemented each other nicely. You could use them to do a simple neutral eye, fill in the brows or even highlight and contour the face. The shadows also applied like butter and blended easily with excellent color payoff, whereas most matte eyeshadows tend to be chalky and stiff.

Value-wise though, this was not as good of a bargain. Both Naked and Naked2 retail $50 and come with twelve eyeshadows, a brush and either a travel-sized primer or lipgloss. This goes for $27 for just six shadows, making it more expensive per shadow. The variety in color was also more limited and two out of the six colors (Foxy and Walk of Shame) were really similar and barely showed up against my skintone.

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REVIEW OVERVIEW

Color Selection

Texture

Pigmentation

Wear

Value

SUMMARY

Urban Decay Naked Basics comes with a versatile set of colors that are great for everyday. However, I personally like a little more color and prefer Naked and Naked2. If you are looking to add natural definition to the eyes or are simply a neutral kind of girl, you are going to love this!

I *tried* not to buy this, but I caved. And I’m so glad I did! I feel like this palette may work better for light skin tones because I actually like it. Most palettes are too dark/dramatic looking on me, but this one is perfect (especially for travel). Naked2 is a great contouring shade for me, probably because of the cool undertones. I would totally recommend this palette!

Foxy was actually released in Urban Decay’s very first round of mattes, and has been available as an individual shadow since then. I’ve been a frequent buyer, as I’m NC30 as well, and it looks so beautiful for ‘no makeup’ looks.